Not applicable.
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs). More specifically, it relates to VCSEL current confinement structures.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
VCSELs represent a relatively new class of semiconductor lasers. While there are many variations of VCSELs, one common characteristic is that they emit light perpendicular to a wafer""s surface. Advantageously, VCSELs can be formed from a wide range of material systems to produce specific characteristics.
VCSELs include semiconductor active regions, which can be fabricated from a wide range of material systems, distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) mirrors, current confinement structures, substrates, and contacts. Because of their complicated structure, and because of their material requirements, VCSELs are usually grown using metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) or molecular beam epitaxy (MBE).
FIG. 1 illustrates a typical VCSEL 10. As shown, an n-doped gallium arsenide (GaAS) substrate 12 has an n-type electrical contact 14. An n-doped lower mirror stack 16 (a DBR) is on the GaAS substrate 12, and an n-type lower spacer 18 is disposed over the lower mirror stack 16. An active region 20, usually having a number of quantum wells, is formed over the lower spacer 18. A p-type top spacer 22 is disposed over the active region 20, and a p-type top mirror stack 24 (another DBR) is disposed over the top spacer 22. Over the top mirror stack 24 is a p-type conduction layer 9, a p-type GaAs cap layer 8, and a p-type electrical contact 26.
Still referring to FIG. 1, the lower spacer 18 and the top spacer 22 separate the lower mirror stack 16 from the top mirror stack 24 such that an optical cavity is formed. As the optical cavity is resonant at specific wavelengths, the mirror separation is controlled such that resonance occurs at a predetermined wavelength (or at a multiple thereof). At least part of the top mirror stack 24 includes an insulating region 40 that provides for current confinement. The insulating region 40 is usually formed either by implanting protons into the top mirror stack 24 or by forming an oxide layer. In either case, the insulating region 40 defines a conductive annular central opening 42. Thus, the central opening 42 forms an electrically conductive path though the insulating region 40.
In operation, an external bias causes an electrical current 21 to flow from the p-type electrical contact 26 toward the n-type electrical contact 14. The insulating region 40 and the conductive central opening 42 confine that current such that it flows through the conductive central opening 42 to the active region 20. Some of the electrons that form the current 21 are converted into photons in the active region 20. Those photons bounce back and forth (resonate) between the lower mirror stack 16 and the top mirror stack 24. While the lower mirror stack 16 and the top mirror stack 24 are very good reflectors, some of the photons leak out as light 23 that travels along an optical path. Still referring to FIG. 1, the light 23 passes through the p-type conduction layer 9, through the p-type GaAs cap layer 8, through an aperture 30 in the p-type electrical contact 26, and out of the surface of the vertical cavity surface emitting laser 10.
It should be understood that FIG. 1 illustrates a typical VCSEL, and that numerous variations are possible. For example, the dopings can be changed (say, by providing a p-type substrate 12), different material systems can be used, operational details can be tuned for maximum performance, and additional structures, such as tunnel junctions, can be added.
While generally successful, VCSELs have problems. For example, to some extent the insulating region 40 is less than optimal. As previously noted the insulating region 40 and the central opening 42 form a current confinement region that guides current into the active region. Also as noted, the insulating region is usually produced either by implanting protons or by forming an oxide layer. Proton implantation is described by Y. H. Lee et al., Electron Letters, Vol. 26, No. 11, pp. 710-711 (1990) and by T. E. Sale, xe2x80x9cVertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers,xe2x80x9d Research Press Ltd., pp. 117-127 (1995), both of which are incorporated by reference. Oxide layers are taught by D. L. Huffaker et al., Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 65, No. 1, pp. 97-99 (1994) and by K. D. Choquette et al., Electron Letters, Vol. 30, No.24, pp. 2043-2044 (1994), both of which are incorporated by reference.
Ion-implanted VCSELs are typically formed by a single energy proton implant in the form of an annular ring. Proton implantation creates structural defects that produce a relatively high resistance structure having an annular conductive region. This implanted region, or gain guide, is disposed such that the peak concentration of defects lies above the active region 20, but below the conduction region 9. The defect density does not drop to zero immediately above and below the implantation peak, rather it gradually drops from the peak value, so that a very small, but finite number of these defects occur even in the active region 20. While the relatively high resistance structure effectively steers current through the annular conductive region and into the active region, ion implantation does not produce significant optical guiding. Thus, ion implantation does not strongly impact the optical modes of the VCSEL. However, ion implantation defects can form non-radiative recombination centers in an active layer""s P-N junction quantum wells. Such non-radiative recombination centers can cause the junction area under the implant to not emit light. Furthermore, the P-N junction under the implant has a lower forward voltage at constant current density than the P-N junction at the center of the cavity. In conjunction with the distributed nature of the series resistance of the P-N junction, the ion implanted non-radiative recombination centers cause the P-N junction current density to be highest in the center of the cavity. Until and unless other effects become large enough to counter this behavior, this makes the optical gain highest in the center of the cavity, which discourages the formation of higher order optical modes.
In contrast, VCSELs that use oxide current confinement regions can be made relatively small, which decreases threshold and operating currents. Additionally, since an oxide current confinement region has an optical index of refraction that is about half that of the region before oxidation, an oxide current confinement region forms a refractive optical index guide, which leads to transverse mode confinement, and which can further reduce operating current. The electrical properties of oxide current confinement VCSELs are very desirable. They can have higher bandwidths and lower lasing current thresholds (when compared to ion-implanted VCSELs). However, oxidation does not introduce non-radiative centers in the PN junction. Because of the distributed nature of the series resistance, oxide VCSELs have the highest P-N junction current density and the highest optical gain at the edge of the cavity. This current distribution tends to encourage the formation of higher order optical modes, particularly at large bias currents.
Oxide VCSELs (those that use oxide current confinement) typically include an AlGaAs layer having a high aluminum content (over 95%, and typically in the range of 97-98%) that is used to form the current confinement region. Such a high aluminum content structure tends to oxidize much more rapidly than the material layers used to form a P-type DBR mirror (which in this case might be 90% Al and 10% Ga). To fabricate the oxide current confinement, reactive ion etching is used to form trenches to the edge of the high Al content layer. Oxidation then typically proceeds to form a 10-micron deep oxide layer in the high Al content layer, while forming less then a 1 micron deep oxide layer in the mirror layers. Beneficially, the high Al content layer oxidizes with a complex aluminum oxide that is not only an electrical insulator, but also occupies about the same space as the layer before oxidation.
Both oxide VCSELs and ion-implanted VCSELs may have an additional ion-implantation structure disposed at a larger diameter than either the oxide aperture or the gain guide aperture, respectively. This implantation, if present, provides a continuous high resistance zone extending the entire distance from the p-type electrical contact 26 to the lower spacer 18. The function of this large-diameter implantation is to electrically isolate each device from its neighbors; it does not substantially affect the performance differences between the two described VCSEL types.
Because oxide VCSELs and ion-implanted VCSELs have different characteristics, VCSEL designers have had to select from among competing features, high output with higher order optical modes (oxide VCSELs), or lower output but with fewer optical modes (ion implanted VCSEL). Therefore, a new technique of forming VCSELs with the benefits of both ion implanted VCSELs and oxide VCSELs would be beneficial.
The following summary of the invention is provided to facilitate an understanding of some of the innovative features unique to the present invention, and is not intended to be a full description. A full appreciation of the various aspects of the invention can be gained by taking the entire specification, claims, drawings, and abstract as a whole.
Accordingly, the principles of the present invention are directed to a new VCSEL that has benefits of both ion implanted VCSELs and oxide VCSELs. According to the principles of the present invention, an oxide VCSEL is formed. Then, a gain guide ion implant region is formed substantially below the oxide region. The combination of the oxide layer and the ion implant gain guide makes it possible to achieve desirable low order optical modes with a low current threshold and at a high efficiency. The ion implant gain guide and the oxide layer do not have to have the same aperture diameters. Furthermore, the ion implant is beneficially performed such that the ion implant extends beneath the oxide. This enables non-radiative currents to exist in the outermost portions of the active region and further increases the lateral resistance of the material between the oxide layer and the active region. The energy and dosage used when forming the ion implant gain guide can be tailored to independently control the lateral sheet resistance and the quantum well recombination centers.
Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description that follows, and in part will be apparent from that description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.
The novel features of the present invention will become apparent to those of skill in the art upon examination of the following detailed description of the invention or can be learned by practice of the present invention. It should be understood, however, that the detailed description of the invention and the specific examples presented, while indicating certain embodiments of the present invention, are provided for illustration purposes only because various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those of skill in the art from the detailed description of the invention and claims that follow.